This thesis aims to show the construction of the visual representation of "indigenous people" of the Cuzco region and its relation to the discourse of "authenticity" as defined by indigenismo, anthropology and tourism. We are interested in the role of visual and audiovisual media in creating an image of indigenous person perceived as "authentic" and a shared discourse about the Andes. The visual documents we are studying, all produced by Peruvians, include: a selection of photographs taken between 1920-1945 by Martin Chambi, the movie Kukuli (1961) co-directed by cuzqueños Luis Figueroa, Eulogio Nishiyama and César Villanueva and the tourism advertising by PromPerú entitled "Peru: Live the Legend" (2008).
Our analysis highlights the documents’ mainly folkloric and anthropological representation of “indigenous people”, who are associated with origins, tradition and the pre-Columbian past. Our study also examines how the same images are an alternative to the representational strategy of lettered indigenismo, offering another view of reality. Technological images 1) show details not consistent with cultural stereotypes and reveal a more modulated world of identities; 2) create a space for collaboration –between photographer/filmmaker and models– that allows marginalized social actors to participate in their own representation. Finally, we establish the link between this image of Andean Indians and the tourism promotion of Peru.